USL MATCH RECAP | Portland Timbers 2: 2, Orange County SC: 3

PORTLAND, Ore. – Playing their third game in eight days, T2 fell 3-2 to Orange County SC at Merlo Field Wednesday night, snapping a three-game winning streak. Tomás Conechny tallied his first career goal for T2, while Foster Langsdorf scored a goal in his third straight game.

Golden Boot race
Langsdorf scored his 14th goal of the season, which ranks second in the USL, trailing Orange County SC’s Thomas Enevoldsen by just one goal. Langsdorf now has four goals in his last three starts dating back to Aug. 15.

Timbers on loan
Seven Portland Timbers players made appearances for T2 in the match, including forward Lucas Melano, who made his first start for T2 and logged 45 minutes. Conechny played 90 minutes in his second start of the season for T2, scoring his first goal in the 44th minute.

Key plays
Orange County took a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute after Joseph Amico’s low cross from the right wing found Enevoldsen at the top the box, and his left-footed finish found the bottom corner of the net.

Holding a 7-5 shot advantage in the first half, T2 threatened the Orange County goal when midfielder Renzo Zambrano delivered a cross from the right flank that picked out Melano, but his diving header missed the target in the 19th minute. Three minutes later, Langsdorf was on the receiving end of midfielder Marvin Loría’s cross from the left wing, but his header from just outside the six-yard box bounced over the crossbar. Langsdorf nearly scored when he got on the end of Conechny’s back-heeled pass, but his shot from the right edge of the penalty area forced Orange County SC goalkeeper Luis Lopez into a strong save at his near post in the 38th minute. One minute later, Zambrano’s shot from 25 yards away from goal missed to the left of the frame.

Portland leveled the match just before halftime after midfielder Andre Lewis dispossessed an Orange County player on the edge of the 18-yard box. Looking up, Lewis passed the ball to Langsdorf, who quickly slid in Conechny down the right edge of the penalty area and slotted his finish underneath Lopez in the 44th minute.

Beginning the second half on the front foot, Loría picked up the ball in his half, driving past his marker and finding Langsdorf on the right edge of the box. Taking a touch, Langsdorf’s left-footed, curling shot missed over the crossbar in the 47th minute. Seven minutes later, Loría beat three Orange County defenders down the left wing and into the penalty area, forcing Lopez into a strong save at his near post in the 55th minute.

Orange County took a 2-1 advantage in the 65th minute after McIntosh made a reaction save on an Orange County header from close range, but defender Alex Crognale knocked in the rebound attempt from close range.

After Lewis earned a free kick on the edge of the penalty area, Loría’s well-taken free kick was tipped over the crossbar by Lopez in the 74th minute. One minute later, a blocked shot fell to the feet of Lewis outside the 18-yard box, but his shot was fired over the crossbar.

Portland equalized in the 79th minute after Zambrano delivered a cross into the center of the penalty area to Langsdorf, who redirected a looping header over Lopez to make it a 2-2 scoreline. Zambrano, who finished the match with three chances created, recorded his second assist of 2018.

Orange County SC scored the game-winning goal after Enevoldsen volleyed redirected Noah Powders cross from the center of the box into the bottom corner of the net in the 85th minute.

T2 nearly leveled after Ebobisse’s shot from the center of the penalty area was saved by Lopez in the 87th minute. In stoppage time, Loría’s shot from the right edge of the six-yard box hit the side netting.

Next Game
Next up, T2 continue a five-match homestand, playing host to Saint Louis FC at Providence Park on Saturday, Sept. 1. Beginning at 7 p.m. (Pacific) the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Postgame Quote Sheet
T2 Head Coach Cameron KnowlesGeneral thoughts on the match…
"It's a tough result but I think that it was a really good game between two very good teams. We knew it was going to be difficult on the back of how many games we've played and on short rest. I thought our guys played really well and created a number of really good scoring opportunities. It's a disappointing result for sure but I thought the overall performance of our players were good with all things considered."

On the team's resilience during the course of the match...
"It speaks a lot to the character and quality of the group. We got a really good group of guys that want to work and fight and are hungry for results. We had a lot of quality on the field as well, a lot of players who could change the game. It didn't surprise me in the least that we came back from being a goal down."

On forward Foster Langsdorf's goal-scoring form...
"He takes his chances and you've got to give him a lot of credit for that. He works incredibly hard on the field and covers a lot of ground. He has just been very good when he gets chances at finishing. HIs conversion rate is really good - he's done well and I wouldn't be surprised if he continues to score goals at that rate as the season continues."

On preparing for the final few games of the season...
"The big one is that we need to recover. We need a physical and mental break. We've had to turn it around really quick on a number of occasions in the past. We just need to recover first and foremost and then we'll reflect on the performances over the stretch and build towards a really important home game."